Method for icing containers



July 19, 1938. F. BRADY 2,123,878

METHOD FOR ICING CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 31, 1952 INVENTOR FQANK k/ lie/10X ATTORNEY Patented July 19,1938 i Q 2,123,878

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

METHOD FOR ICING CONTAINERS Frank W. Brady, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Wesco Machinery Manufacturing 00., San Francisco, Calif., a co-partnership composed of Frank W. Brady and Raymond A. Brady Application August 31, 1932, Serial No. 631,201

3 Claims. (01. 621) This invention relates to a method of icing ticle stream, I have found it advantageous, if the containers for products to be refrigerated. Such ice stream is to be of a considerable length. containers include refrigerator trucks, refrigertwelve or fifteen feet or more, to mix the ice with ator cars and other receptacles for products. a gas and conduct the mixed gas-ice stream to The present practice of refrigerating containor adjacent to the point of discharge. A stream ers involves the use of special cars and trucks of ice particles alone is apt to freeze so that a having bunkers for ice. In a shipment of prodsolid mass if ice is being moved. If this mass ucts across the Continent, according to the presdoes ot 0 in the Conveying machine it at ent practice, reicing is necessary at various points, least is not as free flowing as compared to the 10 as many as four icings being required. By my stream of gas and ice. The power consumption 10 invention the necessity of reicings is obviated and is therefore greater. the total quantity of ice required for a shipment In the drawing accompanying and forming a is reduced, although a slightly greater quantity is part of this specific i I have. Shown, mOIe used initially. Further, my invention reduces less diagrammatically, seve al forms o ppa u the hazard of shipping perishable commodities, Which c Successfully be s d to p ce my 15 particularly fresh vegetables, since a more thorv nt d t att the foregoing j ts arid ough and effective refrigeration is secured. With advantages s W s these Which i pp in present icing methods, andv the large number of the following wherein the details of operation of reicings required, a delay in reicing usually proves the p c ss and pp s are S orth n acdisastrous and spoilage loss-es are considerable. cordance with y Present Preference 20 My invention enables the commodities to be In Sa drawing, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic refrigerated in such a manner that reicings are ect through 3 pp er. unnecessary usually while the refrigeration is Figure 2 is a diagrammatic w p y in more effective, less ice per ton mile of commodity t on 0 a form of apparatus Successfully p y refrigerated being required over a given shipping Figures 3 and 4 are showings of other appa- 25 route under the same conditions. ratus.

In practicing my invention I utilize a refriger- Figure 5 is a diagrammatic showing of an icing ant material such as water ice, in the form of system. relatively small pieces. The ice particles are In Figure 1, I have shown a shipping container placed in and around the commodities shipped 6 having an insulated interior 1 wherein prod- 30 and between the commodities and the interior nets 8 can be placed through suitable openings. surfaces of the shipping container. The ice par- This container can be of any size; thus,'it can ticles freeze and the commodities are thus in be the body of a refrigerated railway car, a reeffect shielded from the relatively hot exterior frigerated truck body, a stationary storage conatmosphere about the container by an interventainer or other container used for the refrigera- 35 ing wall of ice. tion of products.

The intervening ice wall is formed and placed The container is usually nearly filled with prodby conducting the ice in the form of fine particles ucts and then the crushed ice, pieces of about an into the spaces about and between the packages inch in size, the snow-ice of the trade, is placed 40 of commodities and the container and then allowabout the products. Thus, in packing vegetables 40 ing the particles to freeze together. A solid ice such as crated lettuce, the crates are placed in wall is thus formed directly about the commodithe container, the crates being spaced from each ties. This wall is quickly placed and replenished other by slats l0. Circulation of the atmosphere when reicingis necessary. in the container can thus take place and the cold While the ice can be placed directly with a atmosphere can reach all parts of the products 45 shovel, or other manual tool means, I have found in the container from the ice sheath placed in this method o Operation ow an expensive. In space H and surrounding the pro-ducts .in the addition, the men are apt to under-ice, due to the container. exertion required to ice thoroughly. Accordingly, To facilitate the icing operation, I have devised I have devised mechanical means to carry the ice various apparatus. In the form shown in Fig- 50 into place so that the only manual effort required ure 2, ice in finely divided form from an ice of the operator is to direct the discharge of the crusher (not shown) is discharged into hopper 2|. stream of ice about and between the commodities From the hopper, screw conveyor 22 conveys the in t t i ice for discharge into a gas stream. As before In connection with the handling of the ice parmentioned a gas stream is employed in conjunc- 55 tion with the ice stream, the gas stream serving to keep the ice from freezing together and assist- Adjacent the discharge of screw conveyor '22,

an auxiliary conveyor 23, in the form of a paddle wheel, is placed to facilitate introduction of the ice into the gas stream by knocking ice down into the gas stream. The size of the column of ice in the screw conveyor is usually suflicient to prevent the gas from flowing back therethrough instead of carrying the ice.

The ice-gas stream passes into outlet tube 24 extending from the gas source. In the form shown this is an air blower 25. Instead of air other gases can be used, such as $02, ethylene or CO2, depending upon the product being handled and the treatment to which it is to be subjected. The air stream can also include some percentage of a product treatment gas or auxiliary'gas, the icing and treatment or addition of the gas thus being carried on simultaneously.

From the outlet tube, the ice-gas stream passes into a flexible discharge'ponduit 26 fastened to the tube 24 by clamps 21. The conduit is handled by the operator who directs the discharge therefrom about the products. In icing refrigerator cars the car is usually filled nearly to capacity, sufficient space being left for a man to manipulate the discharge nozzle within the refrigerator car at the doorway. The products are usually spaced from each other, to permit free circulation of the cold atmosphere, and from the top sides and ends of the car into which spaces the ice is discharged. The gas stream carries the ice into place where it quickly freezes into a solid sheet or wall since the ice is super-cooled by the gas stream.

The screw conveyor, paddle wheel and air blower are mounted on a small truck 28 so that they can be readilymovedfrom car to car. An electric motor 29 and an auxiliary drive mechanism 3! are also mounted on the truck, the motor being supplied with power through an insulated, flexible cable. Chains 32 connect the drive mechanism 3| to the several units to rotate them at the desired speeds.

In the modification shown in Figure 3, the gas stream in tube 35 is directed across the discharge of screw conveyor 36. The stream of gas picks off the ice as it is discharged and moves it along for discharge at the desired point. The air stream prevents freezing of the moving ice column in the conduit so that jamming is avoided.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, a screw conveyor H is included in shaft 42 of blower 43. The conveyor, upon rotation of the blower, moves ice from hopper 44 into the blower while the blower discharges a stream of air and ice particles for discharge from'conduit 45.

It is to be noted that the apparatus shown in Figure 4 should be operated so as to mix ice and air and not sling out ice alone. This practice is more effective than throwing or slinging out ice alone with a blower. When only the latter practice is followed, not only is the pre-cooling effect lost, but the hose usually jams with ice which freezes solid therein. To avoid this, the conveyor 4| and hopper 44 should never be filled with ice so as to create an ice seal on blower 43.

If desired, and if required, salt may be included with the ice so that the final mass is very cold. In place of ice other refrigerants can be used as solid C02. The term ice is used in the claims as including such other refrigerants or refrigerant mixtures and the term air" refers generally to suitable gas conveying mediums.

In Figure 5, I have shown a system for icing a plurality of refrigerator cars 5| comprising a train standing on track 52. The ice-air mixture is discharged into conduit 54 from apparatus 53 for producing such a mixture, usually an ice crusher discharging directly into an air blower outlet stream. The conduit 54 is placed parallel to the track. From this conduit outlets 55 extend for the icing of the individual cars comprising the train. In this way a simple and effective means is provided for transportation of the ice to the cars and for effectively placing the ice.

I claim:

1. The method of icing products in a container and of cooling unoccupied space in saidcontainer which comprises maintaining a confined flowing air stream, introducing into said air stream substantially continuously ice particles to be deposited in said container whereby said air is cooled and said ice is carried by said stream, directing said flowing but confined ice-air stream into said container, and releasing said confined ice-air stream in said container to'deposit said ice and release said cooled air to cool unoccupied space in said container and uniced products therein.

2. The method of icing products in a container and of cooling unoccupied space in said container which comprises discharging ice particles into a confined, flowing air stream whereby the particles are conveyed and said air is cooled, and thereafter releasing said streamto deposit said conveyed ice particles in said space and about said products and to permit said cooled air to,.

FRANK W. BRADY. 

